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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28012539">A coin for your thoughts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hades (Video Game 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:54:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,704</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28012539</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermes’s eyes flickered first from Charon’s hand to the coin and then from the coin to Charon himself, grimacing. Oh, it was not a good sight on Hermes, Charon noted.<br/>	“Are you paying me to leave…?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A little something I wanted to write since day one, but never had a chance to. This fic will get quick and occasional updates but, if you like it, I might find the time to drop longer chapters, sometimes.<br/>Let me know your thoughts about it!<br/>I hope you'll enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Prologue</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>            Hermes sighed; it was a sigh that lasted a bit longer than a normal one, ending with an annoying hum. He wasn’t known for his patience, Charon knew that much, but the younger God was becoming overly dramatic for his standards. (Not that he wanted to complain, of course.)</p><p>            The God was perched at the top of the stern made of skulls of his gondola, staring back at Charon who was trying to approach the little arbor in Asphodel without ‘accidentally’ throwing Hermes in the deadly hot river.</p><p>            Again, the younger one sighed but Charon pretended to be more focused on the oar; after all, he was working, he couldn’t care less of what that hyperactive brat had to tell him.</p><p>            “You should come with me,” Hermes proposed, suddenly, standing and causing the boat to swing a bit too much.</p><p>            Charon groaned, but it didn’t stop the other, “humans are losing faith,” he reminded him, “sooner or later, we will turn into ashes. Well, not that it’d make any difference for you,” he stated, studying Charon from head to toe.</p><p>            Again, the Ferryman grumbled, rolling his eyes</p><p>            “And what’s worse,” Hermes resumed, shifting so elegantly from his improvised pedestal to reach out for Charon’s arm, “is that nobody knows if we will ever come back or no! Could you imagine? A word without gods! Though I must admit, it’d be pretty funny to see the mortals’ souls swimming all over here for their judgment!”</p><p>            Charon tilted his head, considering that scenario for a while, with a little smirk, before getting interrupted, again, “but I’m dead serious! You should come with me, boss! We have no idea what will come next – we don’t even <em>who </em>will stay and <em>who </em>won’t! What if -and hear me out for a moment- what if one of us will reincarnate as a human and – you know what it means, right? What if we won’t meet ever again?”</p><p>With a <em>thud</em>, the boat hit the stone of the arbor, coming to a halt.</p><p>            Charon groaned. Now, Hermes was just getting paranoid – why was he so worried? Mortals <em>loved</em> Hermes.</p><p>            Nobody would leave him behind.</p><p>            Sighing, Charon took a coin from the packet hanging down the oar, tied up to it because of a golden rope. He took one coin from the many ones he had there, dipping his fingers in to then offer the little, shiny object to Hermes.</p><p>            The younger God looked at it with a frown, “what is it?”</p><p>            Charon breathed out thick smoke, rumbling, forcing Hermes to accept the coin, placing it in his hand before waving at him.</p><p>            Hermes’s eyes flickered first from Charon’s hand to the coin and then from the coin to Charon himself, grimacing. Oh, it was not a good sight on Hermes, Charon noted.</p><p>            “Are you paying me to leave…?”</p><p>            Leaving the boat to open the shop, Charon shrugged.</p><p>            “What if,” Hermes tried again, standing there, staring at Charon’s back as this one unpacked his goods for the Prince, “we won’t meet anymore?”</p><p>            The Ferryman snorted: what kind of absurdity was he saying? Of course, they would meet again! Mortals needed them – Gods too: without Charon, souls wouldn’t be able to travel in the underworld; without Hermes, neither Gods nor humans would have a chance to exchange messages.</p><p>            Hermes was just … easily frightened, indeed.</p><p>            There was no way one of them was going to disappear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 2. Next Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Charon was so used to shades' whining, that one might think he knew how to comfort his siblings when the Prince was dying.<br/>Except, he was not.</p><p>Next time, he'd need to listen more carefully to what Hermes had to say.</p><p>Next time...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>2. Next Time<br/>
</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>            The first time Charon noticed something was off, a shade told him it was winter. Outside, the world was freezing, and, suddenly, The Ferryman wondered if that was why Hermes was not there yet – cold must be unbearable for the young god. Huffing, he tried to convince himself that that was why.</p><p>Yes, of course, it was because of the weather. Every year the same problem: winter became colder and colder, and that thin clothes Hermes kept wearing were of no help at all.</p><p>            The unbearable winter was one of the reasons why he tried to sneak in Asphodel every now and then during that time of the year. It was safer, Hermes claimed every time because it was warm and Charon was there with him – not that he needed protection, of course, but he enjoyed playing the damsel in distress, calling for Charon as he run back and forth between the foes.</p><p>            Looking down, Charon asked the shade if they knew the exact day of their death.</p><p>            “It’s a new year in a couple of days, sir,”</p><p>            Almost new year, Charon hummed in acknowledgment.</p><p>            Almost the new year and Hermes was not there bothering him – how weird.</p><p>            Thinking about it now, when was the last time he had been there?</p><p>            Could it be that ---</p><p>            Abruptly, Charon shook his head: Hermes would be fine, he was a god, after all.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>            The second time Charon realized that something was going wrong, it was back in the House of Hades. He was there just for a little break, nothing more, considering that, oddly, very few mortals needed his services. Again, he shook his head – it was just a coincidence, he told himself, but when he heard the sobbing of Thanatos coming from the Prince’s chamber, Charon froze.</p><p>            Outside the room, in the corridor, Hypnos was half sleeping and half crying and, as he noticed Charon approaching him, his brother snorted, “I hate mortals,” he murmured, lowering his gaze. He curled up on himself, embracing his legs to keep his knees close to his chest as his red cover swung mid-air.</p><p>             Charon got closer to peek in Zagreus’ room, but as soon as he could see Thanatos kneel on the floor, holding the Prince’s hand, he felt his whole body stiffen. The Prince was just sleeping, right?</p><p>            “I’m scared…” Hypnos whined, yawning, “I don’t want to die.”</p><p>            Charon said nothing – what was there to say, by the way? He was not even sure if he had enough empathy to comfort his brother the way he deserved. After centuries spent at the shades side, Charon was used to the awful pleading of the dead and their fears that Hypnos’ words were nothing but an annoying buzz.</p><p>            And it hurt.</p><p>            He was not able to understand Hypnos’ fear.</p><p>            He was not able to understand Thanatos’s pain – what was the problem? If the prince were going to die, he would emerge again from the pool of blood in the main area.</p><p>            He would be back in no time, right?</p><p>            (No, he would not…)</p><p>            Unfortunately, Charon had no time to dedicate to those unwanted thoughts, and, just like that, he got away from the House, leaving behind him the sobbing of Thanatos and the whining of Hypnos. The more he distanced himself, the more guild built up inside his heart.</p><p>            Would his brothers be okay?</p><p>            And what about the prince?</p><p>            Then, almost by reflex, his thought went to Hermes: what was he doing?</p><p>            Whatever it was, certainly, it was more important than their business, or – could it be he was somehow offended? After all, last time, Charon had paid him to leave him alone.</p><p>            Leaving the house, he breathed out purplish fog – again, whatever it was, he hoped that troublemaker was okay.</p><p>            Luckily, they would meet again in spring.</p><p>            …</p><p>            Except, that when spring rolled in, the Prince was not there anymore, neither in the pool nor in the dungeons.</p><p>            Except, that when spring rolled in, the House was horribly quiet: the shades were silent, they didn’t even bother discussing their matters with Hades anymore, and, simply, they moved on, as if they could not see him; nobody was taking care of the kitchen; nobody was working in the archive anymore.</p><p>            Except, that when spring rolled in, Charon and his brothers started feeling weary:  Hypnos was awake only for a few minutes; Thanatos’ sense became numb and lost completely his ability to feel when humans needed him; Charon had no strength left to steer his boat. Weakness was winning them, forcing all the Chthonic gods to rest, against their will.</p><p>            Perhaps, it was the effect of the season, Charon told himself, and so, he convinced himself that after a good rest, he would be back to work like usual.</p><p>            Except, that when spring came to its end, Hades sighed tiredly, “humans don’t need us anymore,” he said, getting comfortable on his chair and closing his eyes, “I always thoughts mortals depended on us,” he resumed, chewing at his inner cheek.</p><p>            Cerberus barked, earning a bitter laugh from Hades, which caused Than and Charon to smile too as they rested against the walls of the hall, with Hypnos between them, not snoring anymore.</p><p>            “Gods exist only for the mortals’ sake,” the king went on, reminding Charon of Hermes’ last words – oh, if he had known better, he wouldn’t have dismissed Hermes like that…</p><p>            “Next time,” Hades started, after a while, “I want to live with Persephone and the brat in the countryside. The Queen would love it.”</p><p>            Again, Cerberus barked, “yes, you will be with us too, of course,” the king replied, and Charon was sure he was saying something about inviting him, his brothers, and Nyx too, sometimes.</p><p>            Though, now, it didn’t matter.</p><p>            Charon was too sleepy to keep track of what the king said after.</p><p>            Too sleepy…</p><p>            Snorting, he yawned and allowed his own eyes to close.</p><p>            He wished he would be able to meet Hermes again.</p><p>            He needed to apologize.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*wheezes* I'm back! I know, I know, I said I wouldn't update this fic so early, but, you know how it is, right? When your muse comes, you have to indulge her and write/create.</p><p>I hope you liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!<br/>Besides, I was thinking: what if, I wrote longer chapters for it? Mmmh, we will see...<br/>In the mean time, you can find me on twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Cam3ulia"> here </a></p><p>Thank you for reading, and I wish you a lovely week.<br/>Stay safe &amp; stay warm.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Stranger danger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>      </p><p>     <em><strong>3</strong></em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>           The day, for Charon, didn’t start well.</p><p>            Waking up, he found his younger brother, Hypnos, sleeping by his side, legs tangled with Charon’s as if he was his personal warm-water-bottle human size or, most likely, one of his plushies. Though, what was bothering Charon the most was Hypnos’ drool all over his left arm, the one he was currently hugging.     </p><p>            Releasing an annoyed, prolonged sigh, Charon called him, but it didn’t seem enough to wake him up. Groaning, he tried again, moving him ever so slightly to not startle him.</p><p>This time, Hypnos’ sleepy brain seemed to get the hint.</p><p>            The boy whined, mumbling something about their mother, and, eventually, released him, turning to face the window. Then, and only then, following Hypnos movement, Charon noticed that, outside, it was raining. Any other day, that would have been the perfect weather – no sun, not many people outside – but today, the day of his departure, rain made Charon uncomfortable.</p><p>            He took his knees to his chest, propping his head onto the left one, and watched out of the window, contemplating the idea of staying home.    </p><p>            It was mere rain, he told himself, considering the pros and cons of indulging in that naïve thought.</p><p>            In four hours, Charon would be on a plane, far away from the ground and lost between the clouds – in that case, the rain was but an annoyance.  A scary one, if he had to be honest with himself.</p><p>            Flying had always been a fear Charon had no chance to overcome easily (either he swallowed pills to sleep during the trip or, worst-case scenario, he passed out when the pilot was a freak).</p><p>            Every time he was on hair, the fear of falling, crashing back on the earth, miserably, like a shooting star, overtook him, and -oh, gosh! The rain was getting stronger!</p><p>            “Charon…” Hypnos cried, suddenly, “Than…”</p><p>            Alarmed, Charon hurried to check on his brother, only to discover that he was still sleeping. His guess was that the little one was in the middle of a nightmare, judging by the deep frown and the way he kept biting his own lip.</p><p>            What should he do? It was Thanatos the one who knew how to handle him in these situations…</p><p>            On the contrary, Charon – well – comforting someone had always been a big no for him, both because he couldn’t speak well and because he grew up believing to be socially awkward. That is, even with his own brothers, his family.</p><p>            “Don’t leave me…”</p><p>            Charon huffed – if he could, he’d take Hypnos with him and, of course, Than would do the same too, but it was also true that their brother had to learn how to take care of himself. No matter how much the three of them cared for each other, Hypnos needed to understand that Charon and Thanatos could not be with him every day, every time…</p><p>            He needed to let go.        </p><p>            He needed to grow up – the sooner, the better.</p><p>            After puffing his left cheek, Charon breathed out, slowly, deflating like a balloon as his thoughts led him into a more dangerous field, but he avoided each and every one of them. It would only upset him more, which would be counterproductive for that particular day.</p><p>            So, just like that, he allowed those thoughts to sink, again, repressing them somewhere else, even if just for the time being.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>            When he arrived at the station, Charon hissed and stared at the rain from the little bar. Indeed, it was starting to lose intensity, but the sky was darker and a thick layer of fog was rising, surrounding buildings and those brave people walking out there. Hidden behind the mist, they looked like shadows: deformed blobs of darkness crawling in the distance, reaching out for a safe place.</p><p>            Snorting, Charon couldn’t help but wonder where those stupid metaphors came from. Usually, he was not the poetic type (he’d gladly leave that role to Than) but at times like those, when the day and night seemed just the same and he took his time to observe other humans, his brain created those pictures that he was not able to push back.</p><p>            A five-year-old, he thought he had seen a skull staring back at him from under the water of the river behind his house; he was ten when he started seeing shadows moving under the water as if walking towards a mysterious destination.</p><p>            Now that Charon was 27, whenever it was too dark to distingue any figure around him, those spots kept appearing more and more often – in the darkness of his room at night, in a dark alley when he came back home and, now, in the middle of the day (it was day, wasn’t it…?).</p><p>            “Hey, now! This ticket is just fine! What else do you need to check?” Taking back Charon from his thoughts, a cheerful voice startled him. Turning, he caught a guy, a bit shorter than Charon himself, with caramel-like skin and dark hair, who seemed to be in the middle of an argument with an inspector.</p><p>            “Boy, don’t play dumb,” the older man warned him, requisitioning said ticket from the other, “this ticked has been used once, already. See?”</p><p>            The stranger shrugged and adjusted his baggy sweatshirt to cover his shoulders, “no, I can’t see it, I’m sorry, but it seems fine to me. As fine as an ordinary ticket should be!” And tried, without any success, to take it back, but the other man pulled back, lifting his arm, and the boy started rumbling again.</p><p>            Everyone was watching their little show and, gosh, was it secondhand embarrassment? Charon covered his face with his hand. He couldn’t explain why but he felt as if he was getting scold too – why? It was dumb – it was very dumb! And yet, he kept hiding his face, as if it would prevent anyone from seeing him.</p><p>As the boy’s voice grew louder, chewing his bottom lip in frustration, Charon sunk his head between his shoulders, trying to become as unnoticeable as possible…</p><p>            “You should buy a new ticket, boy,” the inspector resumed, <br/>“It’s the easiest possible way.”</p><p>            “Well, this is but the hardest way for me, boss. I don’t have any cash with me right now so…”</p><p>            Slowly, Charon disclosed his fingers, allowing his eyes to look at the boy once more – was he for real? Judging from the bag and luggage he had close to his legs, on the floor, he looked like a traveler, just like Charon; how was he supposed to go for a trip without money…?</p><p>            “Then, I’m afraid you’ll reach the airport with your own feet.”</p><p>            “What? No! It will take me hours! Besides, I already have a ticket!”</p><p>            And that was when Charon lost his patience entirely. Grunting, he took two coins from his wallet and advanced towards the inspector, dragging his suitcase along. He didn’t allow them to say anything and, as the boy lifted his eyes to meet his gaze, Charon dropped the coins in the inspector’s free hands and asked for a ticket.</p><p>            The man blinked, “oh – sure,” he murmured, holding out a ticket for Charon, but the latter pointed at the boy.</p><p>            “For me?” The boy asked, beaming, “really, boss? For me?” But before Charon had a chance to reply, he snatched the ticket from the inspector, holding it close to his lips.</p><p>            “Boss! B – o – s – s!” he mouthed against the paper, and the nickname did something to Charon, something pleasant. His lips curved upwards, smiling tenderly at the stranger and the word played non-stop in his ears – he liked the sound of it, he decided, absently, not noticing what the stranger was up to.</p><p>            A warm hand reached out for Charon’s, making him stiffen on the spot as the inspector left the two of them alone, muttering something about the boy’s luck.</p><p>            “Are you going to the airport too?” The boy asked, smiling, “I can keep your company, boss! What do you say? Mh?”</p><p>            Okay, okay, slow down, Charon tried to warn him, speaking as clearly as possible despite his problem. Each word blended perfectly with a groan and hustle of breath coming from his lungs, but even then, the boy seemed to understand him.</p><p>           “Oh, c’mon, boss! You bought me a ticket! We are past the pleasantries! No need to be so formal!”</p><p>           Charon snorted, reminding him that they didn’t even know their names.</p><p>          “Oh! I’m Hermes! And you, fellow traveler?”</p><p>Hermes, Charon hummed, Hermes.</p><p>           Would he be able to say that name without stuttering, he wondered?</p><p>           Not that it mattered, he told himself, telling his name to Hermes.</p><p>          They’d probably lose sight of each other after the airport, wouldn’t they?</p><p>          Hermes’ smile only widened, “Charon, uh? I like it!” Nodding to himself, he grinned, “yes! You know what? I really like it! It’s a great name! I thought my name was original but yours! Oh! Yours his wonderful,” he noted, giving a few tentative squeezes to Charon, who flushed at the unexpected compliment.</p><p>           Noticing the slight shade of red covering his cheeks, Hermes giggled.</p><p>           But Charon was stubborn and warned himself that he should not be so invested in what a stranger had to say about him. Eventually, they would part – if not now, then, at the airport for sure!</p><p>             He shouldn’t allow himself to be so content, so excited, and yet, during the waiting, Hermes didn’t stop blabbing about how cool Charon’s name was; how charming his style was…</p><p>               Almost, he reminded him of Dusa and her constant praising whenever she saw either Charon or Than. Nevertheless, Hermes’ words seemed to be more genuine than those of Dusa…</p><p>               Perhaps, Charon felt that way because it was a stranger and, no kidding, he almost had the intention of asking Hermes if he had eyes or any sense of fashion at all: Charon was wearing full black, with just a hint of gold given by the three rings on his right hand; a bracelet adorning his right wrist (which was not noticeable due to the long sleeves of his coat); and his skull earrings.</p><p>               Even when the bus arrived, Hermes didn’t let him go, and pulled Charon from his arm along with him, as if they were not strangers that had just met. </p><p>How odd…</p><p>               How odd, indeed, he kept thinking as Hermes went on and on with his speech during the trip to the airport. He seemed like the kind of person who had a lot to say, a lot of stories which was… reassuring. Charon had nothing noteworthy to share and, for once, it was good to be close to someone who wasn’t forcing him to open his mouth to speak.</p><p>(Perhaps, Hermes had no interest at all in listening to what Charon might have wanted to communicate?)</p><p>             Meanwhile, Charon discovered that Hermes was not as younger as he had first expected. In fact, Hermes was a university student, who was now going back to his family for winter break. Despite not being so happy to meet his parents again, Hermes explained that he had no chance to avoid them any longer.</p><p>            “I have a lot of siblings,” he explained, hugging his messenger bag, crossing his legs on the seat, “well, some of them are stepbrothers I rarely talk to,” which was weird, considering the way he was now talking with a stranger, “and this year, dad decided it was the perfect year for a big, noisy, useless reunion! But I bet that the old man won’t be there! Work first, then family! Or better yet! Work first, then fuck, and only after all of that he’d make space for us.”</p><p>             Charon groaned. Okay, perhaps, now, Hermes was being a bit too much for his standards, but he didn’t voice his concern any more than that. He knew how frustrating parents could be and Hermes seemed like needing that moment.</p><p>            “Zeus and his bullshit…” Hermes slurred, pouting.</p><p>             Wait – Zeus?</p><p>             Suddenly, Hermes turned to face him, lifting his head to close the gap between them, “yes, Zeus! You know, the leader of that big corporation – I’m one of his kids.”</p><p>             Charon snorted.</p><p>              “What? What’s so funny?” Hermes asked, letting go of his bag to crawl into Charon’s space, who explained to him that, probably, they were going to take the same plane too, because Charon had some business to discuss with Zeus’ secretary. The news made Hermes’ eyes brighten up.</p><p>              “Are you serious?! Will we be plane buddies? Can I sit with you? I know that those tickets have numbers and all, but we can ask to switch, can we? But I’m taking the window side.”</p><p>              Charon considered it. Flying with Hermes would mean to have a distraction close to him, and, hopefully, have a peaceful fly.</p><p>             Eagerly, he nodded.</p><p>            “Yes! Yes!! God, I’m so happy! And I was worried I’d be bound to sit with a grumpy, old lady like last time! She couldn’t even hear him – but- wait! Hold on, boss! You don’t seem so old to be a business partner of my father! I mean – you do look like you’ve been skipping a few meals like one of his workaholic associates, but… How old are you? “</p><p>            Charon shrugged, saying that it was rude for him to point out his weight, but, eventually, he replied.</p><p>            “Oh? 27? That’s good, that’s good! But,” Hermes started, pointing at Charon’s nose, “I stand by that! You need more food!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            At the airport, Charon and Hermes stayed stuck together and even used the same container when they had to put away all the metallic objects, and if Charon only had a few jewels and his belt, Hermes --- well.</p><p>            First, the boy took off his shoes to untie his anklets; then, he lifted his sweatshirt, revealing two piercings around his belly button; last but not least, it was time for a necklace and his hearings.</p><p>            But even then, the detector stopped him with a loud beep.</p><p>            “Oh, yes, right!” Hermes recalled, stepping back to lift, again, his clothes and showing, without shame, his pierced nipples. Charon slapped himself, mentally – really, that boy had no sense of dignity…</p><p>            “Boss, a little help?”</p><p>             What?</p><p>             Charon blinked, pointing at himself: what – was he supposed to put his hands on him and just --- what?</p><p>             Chortling, Hermes proceeded to remove them, “relax, I was kidding!”</p><p>             Charon sighed: that boy was going to be the death of him, wasn’t he?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If nobody needed you before,<br/>Why would Charon?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>4</strong>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>Hermes’ head was spinning. Not even a step inside the house was made, his body started acting weird. He wasn’t even able to speak properly as his mouth felt painfully dry and his throat seemed stuffed by a slimy substance. </p><p>Ugh. Horrible…</p><p>“Who is there?” His brother, Dionysus, called from the bathroom.</p><p>Hermes sighed, relieved: well, at least it wasn’t Ares the one welcoming him, after all, that time…</p><p>“Hi,” he tried, closing the door behind him as he tried to move forwards, step after step. It’d been so long, he thought, finding out how hard it was to speak freely as the memories of his last argument with Zeus was still fresh into his mind.</p><p>He huffed – after all this time, really?</p><p>From the bathroom, at the end of the corridor, his brother’s head peaked out, slowly, first showing the long, curly hair that had been, once again, dyed purple, and then -only then- Hermes saw two big, bright eyes, “Hermes?”</p><p>Hermes left his bag drop on the floor, opening his arms, “I’m back!”</p><p>“Good lord,” the other huffed, hurrying between his brother’s arms, hair still damp, “you’re back! You’re really back!”</p><p>Hermes patted his head, noticing only now how bigger his little brother had become after a whole year apart. It was almost impossible for Hermes to hug him and, jeez, he was so tall, now!</p><p>“You know how it is,” Hermes tried, “father called,” not that Zeus was forcing him to attend or anything, but still, it felt as if he had to.</p><p>Humming, Dionysus pouted against his forehead, “but you could have warned me!” He said, breaking the hug just to grab Hermes from his shoulders and give a better look to his older brother, “are you sure you’re eating properly?”</p><p>Chuckling, Hermes slapped his hands away – indeed, between late shifts and class, he had no time to cook what his brother meant with ‘eating properly’. But he didn’t need to say it, right?</p><p> “I am! Don’t worry! Besides! Are we alone or --- you know ---is Ares here too?”</p><p>“Mmh, don’t worry about him! Probably, he won’t make it here this year,” and, without waiting for a reply, Dionysus lifted Hermes’s messenger bag and took one of the luggage with him, back in the corridor to then disappear in another room.</p><p>“Why?” Hermes asked, frowning – Ares not being there for a family meeting was… weird. Very much so… After all, he was one of the favorite sons of their father (perhaps, because he was the son of his current wife), so---</p><p>“Neither him nor his mother will be here this year.”</p><p>“Why so? Is there a divorce involved?” Oh, that would be fun! Not that Hermes hated his foster brother and his stepmother, but, every time, at every family meeting it was either about Ares’ accomplishment or about his mother.</p><p>It was… frustrating.</p><p>Were they aware that Ares was not the only son there, right? (And his mother was not the only woman part of Zeus' love life either.)</p><p>            “You don’t know?”.</p><p>            “Know what?”</p><p>            Hearing a giggle as a response, Hermes walked in the room, the one the two of them had been sharing since childhood. Only then, Dionysus answered, smiling happily, “Our mothers will join us for the holidays!”</p><p>            Hermes’ eyes went wide, brightening as if fireworks were blooming into them, “our mothers?” He repeated, grabbing his brother’s arm to shake him, “you are not kidding, right?”</p><p>            Their family was weird, in a sense: all of them had the same father, but said father had a problem, a big one, involving loyalty and women (and, perhaps, men too, as Aphrodite had once told them that their father was weak for younger men too).</p><p>            But, there was a huge but: every time, Zeus decided to come back between the legs of Hera – did he love her? Meeh, Hermes doubted that but, indeed, he was devoted to her, even if only in the slightest.</p><p>            “No kidding,” Dionysus laughed, holding Hermes’ hands and squeezing, assuring him that it was not a dream, “gosh, Hera was so mad! I don’t think you’ll meet her any time soon.”</p><p>            “Lucky me,” Hermes chortled, looking around to inspect his old room – it wasn’t so much different from last time: it was covered in a jumble of purple, red and orange; even squinting your eyes, you wouldn’t be able to see how the wall was as it was completely overtaken by posters, old postcards and everything Dionysus could find aesthetically pleasing. As for the desk they used to share, it was now more spacious, and yet so cramped due to all of Dionysus's books.</p><p>            The only trace of Hermes that was left, was the mixture of orange and red you could see every now and then on scribbles on the posters or stickers on the furniture…</p><p>            “Lucky, indeed! She was furious! But once she gets laid, she’ll be fine…”</p><p>            Hermes snorted, “oh my – please! No! I don’t want to imagine it!”</p><p>            Dionysus shrugged, “me neither but you know it’s true, right? Give dad a few days and she’ll be back pestering us.”</p><p>            “Good thing I’ll be gone before she even knows I’m here…”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Except, Hermes’ luck was very blind and forgot to bless him.</p><p>            ‘Give dad a few days,’ Dionysus had told him, but, not even a few hours passed, and Ares, and Ares only, luckily, was back in the apartment. That tiny, little space Hermes used to call home where he and his siblings were living seemed even more cramped with their brother back with them.</p><p>            After finding Dionysus and Hermes in the living room, watching the tv, Ares raised his eyebrows.</p><p>            “You’re back. Alive.”</p><p>            For a moment, Hermes and Dionysus shared a look.</p><p>            “You know he is dramatic,” Dionysus offered, shifting on the couch, kicking to get rid of his comfy slippers to lying down entirely, occupying all the space left.</p><p>            “I ‘m realistic,” Ares intervened, grimacing, “I’m surprised you managed a whole year on your own.”</p><p>            Oh, oh! Danger! Danger! That wasn’t a conversation Hermes wanted to have, really, neither now nor ever, so, he started talking. Because that was everything he was good for in his brother’s humble opinion, right? Everything Hermes was good for was keeping his mouth open to let air out of it.</p><p>            “Oh, yes! I’m alive, very much so! And my grades are okay too, you know? I’m managing to survive on my own, in the dorm – you should see it! Me? Good, old Hermes still safe and sound and no accidents? Yes! My dear brother!”</p><p>            And again, that horrible sensation was back – was he talking too much? Was he saying something stupid? Did he need to explain himself…?</p><p>            Did Ares even care to acknowledge Hermes’ progress?</p><p>            Unexpectedly, Ares lifted his lips in what Hermes thought to be the hint of a smile, “I’m impressed.”</p><p>            Hermes kept his sneer in place.</p><p>Yeah, of course, he was…</p><p>“Okay, okay, enough with this,” Dionysus intervened while looking for the controller to change the channel, “you said you didn’t want to stay here with us,” he said, sneering, “were you missing us, already?”</p><p>“You wish,” Ares mouthed, sitting on the edge of the couch, “I have to take care of a troublesome inconvenient…”</p><p>Quirking his eyebrow, Dionysus clicked his tongue, “such as?”</p><p>“A new associate is coming today. A new manager working for our uncle is going to help us for a while but the guy seems to not being able to speak properly.”</p><p>That, only that, caught Hermes interest who, finally, decided to focus, once again, on what his brothers were talking about. He didn’t like when their discussion was about their boring family society, but… a man who could not speak well?</p><p>A new guy?</p><p> “A new guy.” Dionysus repeated, “and he can’t speak well. I wonder how is he able to do his job without opening his mouth?”</p><p>“Perhaps, he opens his mouth for something else,” snickering, Ares offered.</p><p>“You jerk,” Hermes mumbled, why was he being such an asshole about a stranger? And not about an ordinary stranger - no- it was about Charon! “I’m pretty sure Charon is a very nice manager. Even better than Athena.”</p><p>Silence…</p><p>Had he … said it aloud?</p><p>“What?” Dionysus asked, surprised.</p><p>Hermes shut his eyes – imbecile!</p><p>“How do you know the newcomer…?” Ares questioned, genuinely curious.</p><p>“We were on the same plane,” Hermes admitted, finding out that, who knew why the idea of talking about his meeting with Charon didn’t seem so bad. Dared he says that he was almost eager to?</p><p>“He helped me out at the station, and I thought ‘wow, this one is cool’ and I asked him where he was going, and he told me he had to meet our father. So, I asked an old lady to switch seats so I could sit with Charon. But I forgot to ask him his number, so I have no idea how to contact him again.”</p><p>There.</p><p>“What a coincidence,” Dionysus cheered, “and tell me, tell me!” He continued, changing position so he could hug Hermes’ arm, “is he a good looking one or, you know, a scary face just like our not-so-dear Ares?”</p><p>Hermes puffed his cheeks, “Uhm, I think both? But he is very handsome!” Of course, not the kind of ‘handsome’ Dionysus would agree with, but, for Hermes, Charon had a certain charm.</p><p>Ares hummed, “yeah, good for you, brother, but it doesn’t mean anything.”</p><p>“Booh! Party pooper!” Dionysus barked, faking a pout.</p><p>“Okay! Then, let’s bet,” Ares offered, clapping his hands to get their attention, “you said you wanted his number, right?”</p><p>Oh, no… No, no! Hermes knew where this was going…</p><p>“If he is good at his job, I’m giving him your number,” and he smiled, better, he grinned, devilish, “how does it sound?”</p><p>“I mean – yeah? But…” but what? Wouldn’t it be creepy? Wouldn’t it be…</p><p>Oh – and that damn voice was back in his head! Dammit!</p><p>
  <strong>If nobody needed you before,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Why would Charon?</strong>
</p><p>Why that voice again…?</p><p>
  <strong>Charon didn’t need you back then,</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Why would he need you n---</strong>
</p><p>But Dionysus's voice startled him, preventing him from spiraling, “we accept!” He said, offering his hand to Ares.</p><p>“What does it mean ’we’?” Ares asked, as concerned as Hermes.</p><p>“Oh, you know,” the other answered, lifting his shoulders as he  grabbed Ares’ hand to shake it, “I just want to be there when you’ll ready to admit defeat.”</p><p> </p>
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